Revive Rome: Wait! Why not make the empress fall in love with me first?
Chapter 474 - 89: Why the Weak Fight

Chapter 474: Chapter 89: Why the Weak Fight

"Here, take this." Back on Fire Island, Aske tossed the Magic Potion of Spirit Body IV to Nora.

"What is this? A Magic Potion?" Nora ran her spirituality over it before she could identify it.

"Drink it," Aske said, "Once you’ve digested it preliminarily, we’ll gather everyone and prepare to make a run for it."

"Make a run for it?" Nora was stunned for a moment before she realized they were talking about evacuation, "But the war isn’t over yet! What about the Eleanor family..."

"Does this war have anything to do with us?" Aske asked with an incredulous look, "Wasn’t our goal to find out how Emperor Otto was bewitched in mind?"

"We’ve already figured it out and got our reward. Should we wait for the Church Court to drop a bomb on our heads if we don’t leave now?"

Uh, that does seem to be the case... Nora was speechless, but something still didn’t feel right about just slipping away.

"What about the Duke of Bavaria? How do you plan to explain to him?" She was still a bit uneasy and continued.

"Explain?" Aske said, "Why should we explain? Are you talking about breaking a contract? We didn’t sign a mercenary contract with him, so why should we report to him before we pull out?"

Nora: ......

"Nora, we are a Mercenary Group," Aske said earnestly, "The very purpose of a Mercenary Group is to maximize benefits and minimize risks, the latter often being more important than the former."

"With the continuation of the war, the Church Court will surely lose patience more and more, resulting in increased intensity of the war and casualties, so it’s impossible for us to cooperate with the Imperial Army to the end. It was predetermined that we would make a run for it from the beginning."

"Not to mention now that we’ve got our reward, do we have any reason to stay here?"

"Eleanor will not agree," Nora pointed out another issue.

"I will persuade her," Aske was unconcerned, "Now that her father, the Duke of Bavaria is ill, he definitely won’t join the war again and naturally will not be in danger. Why should she stay here?"

"I’ve already inquired clearly, the Duke will retreat tomorrow to the original camp north of Verona Ruins, to guard the Imperial Army’s retreat path and supply lines. Then we’ll blend in and reach the endpoint before doubling back west towards Milan."

"In Milan, we’ll find a phone and then you call your family to pick us up and take us to Solomon City."

"Eh, we’re going to Solomon City next?" Nora was somewhat surprised and delighted, Does that mean I can go home?

"Right," Aske said, "Some employer has defaulted on our mission payment, and we need to go to Solomon City to collect the debt."

Nora: ?????

Defaulted on the payment? Who might that be?

She took the Magic Potion and left; Aske went to find Medea—this Enchanting Demon Miss was in her second-floor bedroom, applying makeup in front of the mirror, startled by the intrusion of Aske.

"How can you barge in while I’m doing my makeup!" Medea was furious.

"You actually need makeup!" Aske was taken aback.

"Speak, what do you want?" Medea immediately softened, feeling pleased. She loved to hear certain words of flattery, especially when they were spoken by certain people.

"Find some time to check if there’s anyone in our team infected by the Mind Plague."

"You mean... I see," Medea nodded, thoughtfully.

Back doors, huh.

If only I could install a back door in others’ heads...

——————————

Eleanor stood on the hill, in front of the grave of Knight Captain John.

Henry’s body wouldn’t be buried here, instead, it would be sent back to the Bavarian Duchy, and his ashes would be placed in a special room in Weisbach Palace, together with the ancestors of the family.

What kind of sorrow would her older brother Ludwig show upon hearing the news of his brother’s death?

She looked at the gravestone of Knight Captain John, her expression somewhat vacant.

No, not just her brother. How many bones were buried in the soil near this hill?

They had their own families, wives, and children, yet they met a tragic end on foreign soil, without even the chance to bring their bodies back to their homeland.

Eleanor suddenly remembered what Emperor Otto had said before Henry’s death,

"...In the name of Otto, Emperor of the Holy Solomon Empire, I declare that your loyalty to the Empire and the Emperor is beyond question."

"Loyalty?" she murmured to herself.

Vassals sworn to give their lives in fealty to their lords, subjects pay taxes to sustain their rulers, and in return, lords and rulers use their power to protect their vassals and subjects. Isn’t this the ideal and perfect chivalric spirit depicted in knightly novels?

But ah, her brother had given his life to prove his loyalty, and where was the protection promised by the Emperor?

Even in the face of losing his son, her father, the ailing Duke of Bavaria, had still not been granted permission to retreat and return home.

Instead, the Emperor had ordered a rearward movement to Valdanio Town, north of Verona, to hold the gateway for the allied forces of the Empire that led back to the foothills of the Alps.

At the same time, the second round of conscription orders had already been sent back to the homeland by messengers, continuing to recruit more demigods from the great families to join the war.

The Emperor’s intention was crystal clear: recruiting more demigods was for the purpose of holding out until the next sudden onslaught of the Magic Tide.

Of course, the Church Court would not sit idly by while the Imperial Army stayed on the Italian peninsula. The more time passed, the more the Church Court would use stronger technological weapons, creating greater casualties to pressure the allied forces.

Whether the Emperor held out until the Magic Tide arrived or the Church Court successfully forced the Emperor to retreat, the only ones destined to endure suffering and sacrifice were these poor Imperial soldiers and knights.

If the Empire won, they would gain little benefit, with most of the spoils being snatched up by the great nobles; if the Empire lost, the nobles could pay ransom to the Church Court to save their lives, while the soldiers’ and knights’ bones would be left to dust.

Eleanor turned away, her view filled with countless graves, stretching from the hillside here to the river beyond.

And on the other side of the river, there were numerous gallows. Soldiers and knights who had been convicted of plotting rebellion, attempting to escape, or even suspected of insufficient loyalty, were executed on those gallows, their bodies swaying in the wind, left for the crows to peck at.

This was the Emperor’s generous "bounty," granted by him as the greatest lord and vassal of the Empire to his vassals and subjects.

"Ah..." Exhaling slowly, Eleanor placed one hand on the hilt of her sword at her waist.

Indeed, Aske, you were right.

In this world, akin to purgatory, the weak could only be slaughtered at will.

Yet even the weak, before being cruelly killed...

...should have the right to roar in anger!

Her fingers suddenly gripped the sword hilt tightly, a dazzling light shooting out from between her fingers, blazing like the sun, solidifying into substance.

Aske’s form teleported in beside her and saw Eleanor let go of the sword hilt, her eyes sparkling as she stared at him.

"What’s wrong?" she asked.

"Your complexion looks much better," Aske said.

"One can’t always be trapped in the past," Eleanor replied calmly.

"Yes, it’s good that you’ve come to terms with it," Aske felt that something was off with her, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, so for the moment he decided to ignore it, adding, "The investigation mission is complete, and we’re preparing to withdraw. Make arrangements; we need to join the troops that are retreating with your father."

Eleanor was also clear about the entire investigation into the Mind Plague. She then said,

"The previous events have given both the Emperor and the Dragon of Imagination a significant impression of us, and withdrawing from the battlefield now could lead to trouble if discovered."

"So, we can’t let them discover us," Aske replied.

"My brother’s casket will be sent to the rear tonight," Eleanor stated. "We can blend into the convoy, and leave quickly before the Emperor and the others catch on."

"Good," Aske said, "go to Fire Island first; I’ll keep the book safe for you for now."

"What for?"

"To check your mind," Aske replied. "To ensure you haven’t contracted the Mind Plague."